Friday, June 22, 2012

TSA Week in Review: Bazooka Round Discovered in Bag at DFW

Bazooka
Round: After an
alarm on checked baggage at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), TSA Officers discovered an
old military bazooka round. Not knowing if this was live or inert, Law
Enforcement Officers established a 100-foot perimeter around the item and
evacuated the baggage area and terminals near the item. An explosive
ordinance disposal team put the item in a containment box and moved it to a
remote location where they deemed the item inert. After all was said and done,
5 flights were delayed 1 hour, 23 minutes, affecting an unknown number of
passengers. This is why we highly encourage people to contact us before flying with items such as this before they
get to the airport, so they don’t inconvenience themselves and others. On a
related note, do you know how the bazooka got its name? It was named after it’s
resemblance to a novelty instrument played by 1930’s era comedian Bob Burns.

IED
Training Aid Discovered at Norfolk – An
Improvised Explosive Device (IED) training aid was discovered in a passenger’s
checked baggage at Norfolk (ORF).As I’ve said before, we’re all too
familiar with instructors and other people in this type of business needing
these types of items for their jobs, but as with all inert training items and
replicas, we don’t know they’re not real until we’ve gone through all the
motions. These motions can include evacuated baggage areas and closed
checkpoints which lead to delays and missed flights. People that need to travel
with INERT items should plan ahead and contact their preferred shipper about
mailing the training aids to their destination.

Holy
Bat Stars, Batman
– These bat stars are exactly what you would need in your arsenal when fighting
diabolical crime, however, they’re not OK to take on a plane. These were found
at San Diego (SAN). Throwing stars were also discovered at AUS, DCA, and SEA
and throwing knives were discovered at LAX.

Eau
de Kaboom – A
bottle of cologne in the shape of a grenade was discovered in a passenger’s
carry-on bag at San Diego (SAN). On the X-ray, it looked like a regular hand
grenade, so it took time to clear. In addition, two training grenades
were discovered after an alarm in checked baggage at Norfolk (ORF).The
passenger at ORF also had 4 magazines loaded with 120 .223 rounds. And if
that’s not enough, two other inert grenades were discovered in a carry-on bag
at Savannah (SAV). Read here
and here
for more information on why inert items cause problems at checkpoints. We don’t
know they’re inert until we check them out and checking them out can often
inconvenience your fellow passengers.

Body
Scanner Discoveries This Week –
There were a total of 13 illegal and prohibited items discovered this week with
the body scanners at AVP, EWR, BTV, 2 for OGG, SEA, FAI, PHX, 3 for SFO, SMF,
and BDL. Among the items were drugs and drug paraphernalia, but one of the
passengers was loaded for bear!!! After alarming the body scanner, a large
can of bear mace was found concealed in the passenger’s sock at Newark
(EWR).Finding these types of items in areas where explosives could also
be hidden is a testament that the technology works.

Items
in the Strangest Places - It’s
one thing to forget you had a prohibited item in your bag, but when you
intentionally try to sneak it past us, you could wind up being cited or even
arrested by law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where
passengers tried to sneak items past our Officers.

A knife
was discovered wrapped in a towel and concealed in a water bottle at Denver
(DEN). The passenger admitted they were trying to sneak it past our officers.

Two cane
swords were discovered at Las Vegas (LAS).

A knife
was found concealed inside a hollowed out book at Kahului (OGG).

Marijuana
was discovered taped inside of a book after a checked baggage alarm at
Philadelphia (PHL).

Brass
knuckles were discovered concealed under multiple rolls of quarters in a gift
box at Philadelphia (PHL). The passenger admitted they were trying to sneak it
past our officers.

People
Say the Darndest Things –
Here is an example of what not to say at the airport. Statements like these not
only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience lots of other
passengers if the checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:

A
passenger at Kansas City (KCI) who was frustrated after being on standby
stated: “I’m going to go get a gun and shoot everybody if I don’t make this
flight.”

Stolen
Laptop in Tampa Recovered in New York – After reporting her laptop missing, TSA at Tampa
(TPA) reviewed the checkpoint video footage and observed a passenger taking the
laptop and placing it in their bag. Thanks to the footage, a description was
provided and the thief’s flight was met at LaGuardia by NY Port Authority
Police and TSA. The passenger confessed and the laptop was eventually returned
to its rightful owner.

Miscellaneous
Prohibited Items -
In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers
also found firearm components, realistic replica firearms, stun guns, brass
knuckles, ammunition, batons, and oodles of knives.

Firearms
- Here are the
firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday.

Unfortunately
these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about
these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are
finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the
throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up
with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder
to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on
an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law
enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had
these items.

* The woman who did to a TSA employee what TSA employees do to everyone else. And was arrested. You see, when the TSA employees do it, it's perfectly fine. When it gets done _to_ a TSA employee, it's "violence".

* Congress looking into the new TSA ID scanners as being a waste of money.

I see that a metal detector was unplugged at JFK, resulting in entire terminal being rescreened, including planes returning to the gate. That had to have cost a fortune in not only money, but time. Was anything found when the passengers were rescreened? What would happen to any liquids purchased past security if that passenger had to be rescreened? It doesn't seem right that the passenger would have to surrender that liquid.

We finally found an advantage of the AIT scanners over the metal detectors, besides finding drugs that aren't a threat to the planes. It's a lot easier to tell that the AIT scanners are plugged in. They still seem expensive and unnecessary though. This video shows their ineffectiveness.

That's crazy that a metal detector can be left unplugged for that long. I would think the first thing I would do when starting my shift would be to walk through carrying a metal object just to see if it alarms.

It looks like it is easy to get metal objects through the AIT scanners. I found this video and it really looks like this guy got a metal object through the AIT scanner.

Regarding the stolen laptop: I would have to agree that the TSA needs to have a program to protect travelers belongings at the checkpoint. I was randomly selected for a pat down and was not allowed to touch my belongings until it was over. In order to keep my items within view, I could not have a private pat down, which I would have preferred, but had to do it next to the checkpoint or else my computer, iPad, money, everything would have been unattended.

Instead of posting NOTHING each week except your own "week in review" where you highlight a few successes, ignore any mistakes and ignore the news and media reports, how about immediately acknowledging the TSA agent who opened cremated remains, spilled them, and laughed.

I for one have done two things:

1) Taken a screenshot of this comment.2) Written letters to my elected officials.

Enough is enough. It is inappropriate to trample the Constitution, and inappropriate to trample on people's deceased.

The TSA is not making apologia easy for you! I think we all think it's great that the TSA discovers rocket launchers and throwing stars with the help of xray machines. That stuff was true before 9/11 and really is not news-worthy (for anyone unaware, boxcutters were permitted on planes pre-9/11, it's not that we weren't using metal detectors).

The problem, Bob, the reason for your blog getting any significant traffic, is that new procedures have been unduly intrusive and carried out far too often in ways that are insensitive, reckless, and just plain unconstitutional.

Do your moronic "agents" even know their own policies? Don't bother replying, the answer is no. http://consumerist.com/2012/06/man-claims-tsa-agent-spilled-his-grandfathers-ashes-during-security-screening.html

Seriously, I can't go a week without reading something like this, far too frequent to be isolated incidents.

"Containers with remains (ashes) are never opened. Initial review concludes circumstances described are inconsistent with what happened."

Bob,

It is also TSA policy for their employees to never steal anything from passengers either, but we all know this has happened over and over and over and over again at airports all over the country. Blindly siding with your agents immediately after each of these incidents does nothing but make the public trust TSA even less than they already do.

«Dropping to the floor after the spill, Gross said he reached for all the bigger pieces of remains but there was no way to collect everything without a dustpan and broom.

The TSA agent kept laughing without offering help, he said. And passengers waiting to get their bags were stalled behind him as he spent 10 to 15 seconds on his knees grabbing what he could, Gross said.

"I didn't want to cause a scene because I didn't want them to throw me off my flight or put me on the no-fly list," said Gross, 30, a restaurant manager. "It didn't really hit me until I got on the plane."»

So you're calling Mr. Gross a liar then, right?

Please have your bosses release the surveillance tapes to show us what really happened.

Wow! I just stumbled on this site and quite frankly in shock. It's amazing that it's only when something does go terribly wrong like 9/11 that everyone all of a sudden becomes patriotic and for a few months, maybe years doesn't mind the extra pat downs or security measures.

Most of you probably have nothing better to do than sit at home and complain about not finding a job and living off the taxpayer.

Anyhow, here's my suggestion. People should be given the option to pick from two lanes at the airport, secure travel and unsecure travel. The concept is simple, if you decide that you want to breeze through the security checkpoint choose the unsecure travel lane and maybe you might make it safely to your destination, and maybe you won't, it's your life risk it if you want to. I'd be curious to see how many people would actually choose that lane.

I travel about 75% of the year so I've seen my share of incidences at airports and considering what TSA officers have to deal with on a daily bases, I can't imagine doing the job. Keep up the good work TSA!

Containers with remains (ashes) are never opened. Initial review concludes circumstances described are inconsistent with what happened.

The outcome of every TSA "review" you've ever described in this blog is that the TSA employees acted properly, and the passenger was either at fault for the "incident" or was lying about it. What I've seen here suggests that the only purpose of whatever "review" the TSA conducts is to evade any responsibility or accountability for TSA employees who fail to meet the standards you insist they follow.

Bob, can you you prove me wrong? Can you provide even one example of a TSA "review" of an incident that found one or more TSA employees at fault, resulting in effective, specific corrective action that held the offending employee accountable and changed procedures to prevent the failure from occurring again?

Is such a thing even possible in the alternative reality on the other (classified) side of the looking glass, where the TSA makes and implements its rules and procedures?

So, we know that about 10 years ago, your failure rate was around 70%. We also know that as of Nov 2011, it had changed little over time. Given that you found 29 guns, then we can assume approximately 70 made it on. And yet, not a single domestic hijack attempt involving a gun. Please enlighten us with the actual failure rate if you are going to argue that it is not accurate.

Also, if the passenger had not been separated from their laptop, there would have been no need to recover it. It was the TSA's fault that it was stolen in the first place.

Finally, repeating the lie "Finding these types of items in areas where explosives could also be hidden is a testament that the technology works." does not make it any more true than it was the first time. One item found with the potential to cause major discomfort to passengers, but not dangerous enough to take down the flight. And it potentially could have been found using pre-TSA methods. This justifies the TSA's budget?

With respect to the spilling of ashes in Orlando, it seems as if no one really believes you, Bob. More than that, you see to be almost universally reviled.

Serious question: do you have any idea why that could be?

It's not because poor old TSA is just misunderstood. It's because--true or not--you have a reputation for controntation, fabrication, prevarication, sloppy personnel practices, poor decision making, fraud, waste, and abuse.

The very fact that so many posts say "screenshot taken" is prima facia evidence that you are not trusted.

"Wow! I just stumbled on this site and quite frankly in shock. It's amazing that it's only when something does go terribly wrong like 9/11 that everyone all of a sudden becomes patriotic and for a few months, maybe years doesn't mind the extra pat downs or security measures. "

I believe you're mistaken. It is unpatriotic to violate our constitutional rights. The patriotic ones are those standing up against these violations.

"Most of you probably have nothing better to do than sit at home and complain about not finding a job and living off the taxpayer."

When did insults become allowed in the comments of this blog? Regardless, you may be incorrect here as well. I can't speak for the others, but I have a nice paying job.

"Anyhow, here's my suggestion. People should be given the option to pick from two lanes at the airport, secure travel and unsecure travel. The concept is simple, if you decide that you want to breeze through the security checkpoint choose the unsecure travel lane and maybe you might make it safely to your destination, and maybe you won't, it's your life risk it if you want to. I'd be curious to see how many people would actually choose that lane. "

Do you insist on pat-downs and nude scans when you go to the movies, out to eat, or even outside of your own home? It's a crazy world out there, so you're at risk every single time you leave your home. Not only that, but you risk home invasion by staying there. Nothing comes without risks, and the TSA puts us at greater risk because they lull the masses into a false sense of security. With a 70% failure rate, they are doing nothing to stop a determined terrorist. Therefore, I would fly the unscreened skies if given the chance.

"I travel about 75% of the year so I've seen my share of incidences at airports and considering what TSA officers have to deal with on a daily bases, I can't imagine doing the job. Keep up the good work TSA!"

Those incidents are caused by several things. If the TSA didn't exist in the first place, along with their inconsistencies and ineffective policies, the number of incidents would likely drop.

" People should be given the option to pick from two lanes at the airport, secure travel and unsecure travel."

Give me a lane with pre 9-11 security ( metal detector and X-ray machine only) and I will take it and the additional "risk" that goes along with it every single time. I've been on over 2k flights in the past 10 years and the only thing that worries me about flying is the potential for having something stolen from me by TSA or having my genitals fondled by an agent, both of which have happened to me already.

I wonder if the Airport TSA Officer ever asked the owner if the Bazooka round was live or inert. That thing look like a war relic fit to be in a museum. Over reaction to small situation it seem to me, great read tho. It look like TSA is bound to go down as the worse agency ever created

"People should be given the option to pick from two lanes at the airport, secure travel and unsecure travel."

First, that's a false dichotomy. There are more alternatives available than the options presented.

Second, there is at present no secure travel lane. There is, instead, a lane staffed by slovenly, lazy, inattentive screening clerks that let 70% of contraband items through the checkpoint without noticing them. The TSA is a success as an employment program for low-education, low-skill, low-integrity workers, but as a mechanism for protecting the United States it is a failure. If you want to know why it is a failure, you need do no more than look in a mirror.

That's it, keep putting on that display and try to make it look like you're worth the money you're costing us. It's a lie, as more and more people are discovering. All we needed to do was secure the cockpit doors, and that was done long ago.

The body of your average American is not something I'd want to see without clothes on, so I commend your patriotism for your willingness to subject your eyes to even a fuzzy version of it. I say "yuck" to most of you people out there. Please join a gym or go on a diet. I would suggest having A.H. cover the fake IED with his body to shield everyone else from a potential blast while you go politely seek the owner to inquire about their honest mistake. I travel through airports weekly, and I'm really glad to have you guys on the job!

"The concept is simple, if you decide that you want to breeze through the security checkpoint choose the unsecure travel lane and maybe you might make it safely to your destination, and maybe you won't, it's your life risk it if you want to."

You know, if a terrorist wants to maximize the terror they plan to cause, they would target the "secure" lane.

"People should be given the option to pick from two lanes at the airport, secure travel and unsecure travel. The concept is simple, if you decide that you want to breeze through the security checkpoint choose the unsecure travel lane and maybe you might make it safely to your destination, and maybe you won't, it's your life risk it if you want to. I'd be curious to see how many people would actually choose that lane."

They already do. It's called charter, commuter airlines and TSA-free airports. They're growing while commercial flight is shrinking. Call your airport and ask them to return to private security with the Security Partnership Program. END THE TSA!